


Twice

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Community: comment_fic, F/M, Het, Rare Pair, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-06 23:51:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8774605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: Joe surprises Caitlin for her birthday. Twice.





	

"I can't believe you lied to me." 

Caitlin didn't lift her head from Joe's chest as she spoke the words so she felt as well as heard his response, a low rumble of laughter beneath her ear. "Of course I lied to you," he said and he sounded neither ashamed nor apologetic. In fact, he sounded immensely pleased with himself. "It's called a birthday surprise for a reason." 

She swatted at his shoulder with one hand and he caught it easily in midair, bringing her knuckles to his lips for a kiss. Something tugged in her chest at the sensation and it was almost a surprise to realise that it was happiness. 

For the longest time, she'd never thought she'd feel that again. 

She snuggled into his chest again, fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt. He shifted ever so slightly, granting her better access and she continued her actions as she let her eyes wander around the cabin, from the comfortable couch they were lazing on to the fire blazing in the hearth across from them, to the table across the room with the remnants of their meal, to the bedroom that she knew was just on the other side of that door. 

It still seemed like it was too far away. 

"Where did you find this place?" she asked him because it didn't seem like it was on any kind of beaten track - they'd already established that there was no cell phone reception, just a landline for emergencies, and no wifi either. Cisco would have been horrified, but right now Caitlin was not complaining. 

Joe chuckled again. "David's husband, Rob? His parents own it." That information did have Caitlin lifting her head and when her eyes met Joe's, his were glinting with amusement. "I mentioned we both needed a break one day, and that your birthday was coming up, he offered to let us have it for the weekend." He shrugged, did some looking around of his own as his hands slid up and down her back, playing with the hem of her sweater. "I almost said no, then David showed me pictures." 

"I'm glad you didn't." She arched her back, lifting herself up a little to kiss him, at the same time bringing their lower bodies into closer contact. He groaned a little in the back of his throat and Caitlin decided that yes, she'd been right. The bedroom was way too far away. 

Her fingers were working his buttons undone in earnest when he pulled back. The smile on his face made her want to smile too, so she did. "Hold on," he said, trying to stand up. "I haven't given you your present." 

Caitlin frowned but moved off him, watching him as he walked to the overnight bag he'd left near the front door. "Is this where I point out that I was just about to unwrap it?" she asks, making her voice deliberately flirty, batting her eyelashes at him when he turns back around, looking at her with an expression that can only be described as hungry. 

"Nice try," he said, returning to her side with a small, gift-wrapped box. It was too big to hold a ring, her mind realised instantly, which was fine with her because she knew they weren't there yet, even if she'd imagined, in some idle moments, that one day they might be. "Here." He sat back down beside her, handed it to her and she peeled off the wrapping paper carefully, opening the box to find two bracelets inside. 

She blinked once, then looked closely. 

On closer inspection, they weren't bracelets. They were cuffs, a similar size to the ones she wore all the time. Unlike those cuffs though - black and shiny, easily passing for one of those fitness tracker things that she thought were utterly pointless - these were actually pretty. Silver in colour with tiny swirls engraved on them, tiny sparkles catching the dim light of the room, precious stones scatter shot through them. They were something that would have caught her eye if she'd seen them in a jewellery store, something she definitely would have picked out for herself. Her mouth opened and closed, a sudden lump in her throat rendering her speechless. 

"I asked Cisco if he could make you something that didn't look like sportswear." Joe's voice was soft and when she looked at him, she would swear his cheeks were darker than they had been moments ago. "Gave him a few ideas and sprung for what he needed..." He reached out, lifted one of the bracelets and held it up. "There's a tiny diode so you can tell it's working... You can't even see it among the stones..."

Caitlin swallowed furiously against sudden tears. "I can't believe you did that." 

He shrugged, his expression equal parts pleased and embarrassed. "Yeah, well..." Slowly, carefully, Joe took her hand in his, reached up and undid the cuff around her wrist, replaced it with one of the new ones. Silently, he did the same with the other wrist but he didn't drop her hands when he was finished. "Do you like them?" 

She nodded, the movement loosening some tears. "I love them." She didn't get to say much else because he was kissing her then, wiping away the tears, pressing her back against the couch as he covered her body with his. 

It seemed like they were in unspoken agreement about the location of the bedroom but since they were both willing to improvise, it didn't matter all that much. Besides they had a whole weekend to themselves here, and all the time in the world.


End file.
